A McLean property came with a luxurious home, but the small backyard patio left its new owners unimpressed. They turned to McHale Landscape Design to transform the one-plus-acre site into an amenity-filled landscape for their active family.

The owners’ wish list began with a pool, pool house and plenty of spaces to gather. To accomplish the project’s goals, the design team aligned clean geometries and sleek materials along a classical axis. Turkish travertine surrounds the pool, and ornamental crape myrtle trees encircle the lawn. Hydrangea, hellebores and other perennials soften stone retaining walls.

Today, a 50-foot pool abuts a lawn circle designed for volleyball and croquet; broad turf steps lead up to a white-columned pergola beside a pickleball court tucked amid the trees. Pathways through lush plantings link intimate garden spaces intended for reflection, relaxation or recreation. For shelter, there’s a full-service pool house.

A cluster of black planters creates a water feature that establishes the midpoint of the garden, while the pergola stands like a distant temple against a densely planted privacy screen. Below the surface, extensive piping and a catch basin ensure the slow release of runoff into the watershed. For senior landscape architect Anthony Cusat, who spearheaded the project, the craftsmanship of these unseen elements is essential: “We want to build it to last.”